Leadership - Big Idea Speakers

Warren Macdonald

7 June 2018

Robert Adams

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Categories: speakers

Probably the most popular refrain heard after a Warren Macdonald keynote presentation is along the lines of “Thank you. You have changed the way I see the world”. Once you hear Warren’s story, it’s easy to understand why, because there aren’t many people who have had to rethink and re-frame their lives in the way Warren has had to. In his talk, yes, he shares his story of losing his legs. But that’s just the beginning… The real magic happens when we learn how to “see” a given situation through a new lens, when we learn that our perception offers us a choice. Of course navigating any change also requires resilience.

The bad news? Resilience is like a bank account; you only have what you have when you need it. The good news? You can start building resilience today by doing what Warren calls practicing resilience. Don’t leave it to chance by having Warren inspire and inform your next event.

Videos

Biography

Warren Macdonald works with innovative, forward-thinking organizations and associations looking to foster a shift in perception.

Warren’s life’s boundaries were redefined in April 1997 with his accident on North Queensland’s (Australia) Hinchinbrook Island. Climbing to the Island’s tallest peak, he became trapped beneath a one-ton slab boulder in a freak rock fall. Two days later he was rescued, only to undergo the amputation of both legs at mid-thigh.

Just ten months later, he climbed Tasmania’s Cradle Mountain using a modified wheelchair and the seat of his pants.

In February 2003, he became the first double above-knee amputee to reach the summit of Africa’s tallest peak, Mt Kilimanjaro (19,222ft), and more recently, in a spectacular effort requiring more than 2,800 pull-ups over 4 days, created history once again in an ascent of America’s tallest cliff face, El Capitan. He is also the only above knee amputee to make an ascent of Canada’s landmark frozen waterfall, the 600 ft “Weeping Wall” in Alberta.

Warren’s first book, “A Test of Will” is an Australian bestseller and the subject of the “Trapped under a Boulder” episode of the Discovery Channel series “I Shouldn’t Be Alive”. His film documenting the epic four-week journey to Federation Peak, Australia most challenging mountain summit, “The Second Step”, has been acclaimed worldwide, screening on National Geographic Television and winning eight international awards including Grand Prize at the prestigious “Banff Mountain Film Festival”.

Warren has appeared on numerous news and current affairs programs, including “Larry King Live”, “The Oprah Winfrey Show”, and “The Hour” with George Stroumboulopoulos.

He lives in Canmore, Alberta with his partner Margo Talbot.

Speech Topics

Shifting Your Perception On Change

If we can’t see where it is we need to go, what are our chances of getting there? If your team or your members can’t see where you’re going, what are the chances they’ll get on-board?

In navigating change, and overcoming the challenges that come with it, we need to address the foundation; the root cause of why we often get stuck or disengaged, and that is, how we perceive change in the first place.

Expected Outcomes:

This keynote presentation is designed to hit “reset” on how your team sees their role in your organization. Expect them to come away empowered, engaged, inspired and ready to take action. They’ll begin to see challenges and opportunities with fresh perspectives and renewed vision.

Return on Resilience: Bouncing Back is just the Beginning

If there’s one certainty, in business and in life, it’s that we will all face challenges; that we will all, at some point be faced with a seeming insurmountable obstacle or obstacles. When that happens, our greatest ally is found in our ability to endure; to adapt. When that happens, it pays to have banked some resilience.

This keynote presentation focuses on what we can do to prepare for our challenges in advance. On how we can fortify ourselves against the curveballs and roadblocks before they happen by practicing resilience.

Expected Outcomes:

This keynote presentation is designed to move your team from “I can’t” to “Bring it!” To instill the understanding that by facing our challenges; seeking them out even, we build the strength and resilience required when bigger problems come our way.

Next Level Quality of Care: A Patients Testimony

As a keynote speaker, I present at thirty to forty events each year on topics ranging from navigating change to setting impossible goals.

I have to say though that the strongest connection I feel with an audience is when I get to share my patients story as a healthcare speaker with people that do the work that you do; those of you in healthcare.

I’ve seen firsthand what you do. I’ve been there, on the receiving end.

I’d never been in hospital before until that night, after being rescued off of the side of a remote mountain, when I was wheeled on a stretcher into your world…

Ten days in intensive care; a month in the first hospital, then seven months of rehabilitation; learning how to live as a double above knee amputee…

I know that what you do makes a difference, and I’ve got some ideas and some thoughts to share with you through my patients testimony for those times when I think you forget that you make a difference…

I’ve put together a presentation especially for you, as someone who deals with situations of consequence on a daily basis, to remind you of the importance of the work you do; of the difference you make.

Expected Outcomes:

The big picture aim of this presentation is to validate the importance of the work you do; whether you’re a front line practitioner or clinician; a caregiver or caseworker or a hospital administrator. Second to that is to share an example of the results we can achieve in our quality of care when we adopt a client centred (or patient centred) approach or model. When we partner with our patients to achieve a common goal.

The Challenge of Change: Finding Opportunity in Adversity

We’ve all heard it a million times; “change is constant”, “the only certainty in life is change”, “change or perish”. We all know it; what we need is for someone to show us how to deal with it. Warren’s “Challenge of Change” presentation will help your group realize that challenges brought on by change hold endless opportunities for innovation and personal and professional growth. That it’s the challenges we face that build the resilience we need as we’re asked to do more, with less . . . That it is possible to not just survive, but to thrive despite adversity.

Expected Outcomes:

You’ll learn to see change as an inevitable, ongoing process that we’re all engaged with; not just something that “happens to us”. That by changing the way we see change, changes everything… You’ll never look at adversity in the same way again.

One Step Beyond: Setting and Reaching Impossible Goals

It’s all well and good to set seemingly impossible goals; the kind that has your team looking at you like you’re nuts. Like this time you’ve really lost it . . . You need them to see what you see. You need to convince them, to inspire your team to follow you. To show them what is possible when you’re prepared to go One Step Beyond…

– Beyond ordinary

– Beyond conventional

– Beyond perceived limitations

Expected Outcomes:

You can expect your team to become engaged in raising the performance bar.

Brad Wall

7 June 2018

Robert Adams

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Categories: speakers

Brad Wall’s legislative and economic achievements during his 10 plus years as Saskatchewan’s premier are many – job growth, population growth, infrastructure creation, a first ever AAA credit rating for Saskatchewan, and so much more. However, these accomplishments benefitted not just his province, but Canada as a whole. As such, he earned a national reputation as a forceful and articulate defender of Saskatchewan’s and Canada’s trade interests, particularly in the areas of energy and agriculture, all the while remaining a passionate advocate for the province’s most vulnerable, often saying that the purpose of pursuing economic growth is to “secure a better quality of life for all Saskatchewan people.”

Videos

Biography

Brad Wall served as the 14th Premier of Saskatchewan from 2007 to 2018 when he retired from public life.

During Wall’s time in office, Saskatchewan added over 60,000 new jobs and broke population growth records adding over 160,000 citizens through the decade of growth. His government’s growth plan reformed labour legislation and regulatory environments to ensure fairness, sustainability and economic competitiveness.

During the decade of growth record investments were made in provincial infrastructure through direct provincial investment and record municipal funding roads, sewers, highways, schools and hospitals, long term care facilities and the new Mosaic Stadium. Over the decade Wall’s government implemented record income tax reductions and small business tax reductions. During Wall’s time in office Saskatchewan reduced its operating debt by almost $1 billion and earned its first ever AAA Credit rating which it retains to this day.

Wall currently operates his own business and is a special adviser to the national law firm Osler, Hoskin and Harcourt LLP. He is an itinerant columnist for the BOE Report and the National Post and was recently named to the Advisory Board of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute.

He and Tami still reside in Swift Current, Saskatchewan. They have three grown children and a border collie named Zeke.

Wall may or may not own Waylon Jennings’ 1973 Cadillac Eldorado. To learn more just click here.

Christy Clark

7 June 2018

Robert Adams

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Categories: speakers

As the longest-serving female Premier in Canadian history, and the only woman in Canada ever to be re-elected as premier, Ms. Clark worked relentlessly to grow the economy, control spending, and create more opportunities in her province. Some of her achievements while in office are astounding: She brought the province from over a billion dollars in deficit to 5 consecutive balanced budgets, approved and started work on the $8 billion Site C dam, moved BC from 9th in economic growth to 1st, while moving BC to it’s best annual job creation record. (First time that’s happened since 1963!) She also signed almost 500 co operation and revenue sharing agreements with First Nations. Ms. Clark is now available for select speaking engagements – and she talks passionately on topics like leadership, women in politics, the economy, and much more.

Videos

Biography

The Honourable Christy Clark led Canada’s third largest province for over six years. Throughout her tenure, Clark demonstrated the strongest performance of any Canadian Premier for economic growth, fiscal management and job creation.

As Premier, Clark earned a well-deserved reputation as a consensus builder both within the Cabinet, and outside it. Her management style was to carefully set out a plan that included hard goals and deadlines for each Ministry and monitor progress through regular reporting to Cabinet and Committees which she chaired.

Her legacy is characterized by her determination to plan for future generations. She left BC with a significantly diversified economy, a greater diversity of markets, a plan for a new, clean energy supply, billions of dollars of new infrastructure, and a dramatic reduction in the burden of public debt that will be borne by future generations of British Columbians.

When she left office, British Columbia had been Canada’s economic leader for three years running – the first time that has happened since the 1960s. BC went from being 9th in job creation to 1st among provinces. And, after inheriting a deficit of $1.2B, Clark’s government went on to balance 5 consecutive budgets. Her last budget included $52B in revenues and boasted a $2.8B surplus. When she retired, BC was on-track to eliminating its operating debt by 2020 – the first time since 1976. BC was also the only Canadian province with a AAA credit rating.  

Clark retired from political life in 2017 as the longest-serving female Premier in Canadian history and the only woman in Canada ever to be re-elected. 

Speech Topics

Leadership Lessons From A Former Premier

In this talk, Premier Clark reflects on her journey as a kid from Burnaby to becoming Premier of British Columbia in 2011, where she governed for 6 years. Through humour, storytelling and never-before-heard behind the scenes insight, Premier Clark shares her biggest takeaways from heading an entity as large and complicated as the Government of British Columbia

Life as A Woman In Politics

As Premier, Christy Clark experienced many adversities and scenarios that would shock and amaze audience members. Many of those centred around her job as a leader in the very male dominatedworld of politics. She talks about the way she was covered differently by media, her political opponents and what being a woman prevented her from actually doing and saying while she was Premier.

It’s The Economy, Stupid

During her time as Premier, Christy Clark took BC from 9th to 1st in economic growth. A strong economy allows governments and organizations to focus on other priorities (i.e. what you can spend money on) – but without it, there isn’t much you can do. Hear first-hand about how Premier Clark oversaw BC’s turnaround and her key principles for how to ensure long-term, sustainable economic growth.

Canada’s Future

As Premier, Christy Clark made it a point to promote British Columbia’s businesses and resources around the world, and not just in the usual places. A report by HSBC predicted that by 2050 – 19 of the 30 largest economies in the world will be “emerging.” For British Columbia and Canada to be properly prepared, it must accept, embrace and strategize for this.

Denise Lee Yohn

5 June 2018

Robert Adams

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Categories: speakers

Denise believes: Your brand is not what you say – it’s what you do and how you do it. Intimate, emotional connections are the key to brand loyalty. If you don’t develop greatness among your employees, they won’t deliver greatness to your customers. Your customer experience is your most powerful marketing. To be great, you need to know when to say no. Your brand can’t just be a promise, it must be a promise delivered.
She inspires and teaches business leaders to realize the full potential of their organizations. Blending a unique perspective, over twenty-five years of experience with world-class brands including Sony and Frito-Lay, and a talent for energizing audiences, Denise is a leading authority on building great brands and exceptional organizations.

Videos

Biography

Denise Lee Yohn delivers fresh ideas and clear-cut tools to build a breakthrough brand. She inspires and teaches business leaders to realize the full potential of their organizations. Blending a unique perspective, over twenty-five years of experience with world-class brands including Sony and Frito-Lay, and a talent for energizing audiences, Denise is a leading authority on building great brands and exceptional organizations. As an author of the bestselling book What Great Brands Do and the new book FUSION, she cracks the code on how to achieve brand leadership.

Speech Topics

Brand Leadership: How to Build a Rock Star Brand

You know how great brands dominate their fields. You experience it every time you pay a premium for a certain type of jeans, or see a line of people camping out to catch the newest smartphone release. Denise shows you how to achieve rock star brand status. Drawing from case studies, analyses, and interviews with brand leaders from the world’s leading brands, she shows you what great brands do and how to achieve the kind of brand leadership that everyone — from customers to employees to investors — wants a piece of.

THE FUSION FORMULA: Brand + Culture = Results

Forget everything you think you know about workplace culture! You don’t need perks and parties. You need engaged employees who produce the right results and help you build a great brand. Denise shows you how to infuse your culture with your core brand values and align your people with your unique brand identity, so you produce a healthy organization and a valuable brand. Based on her new book, FUSION, Denise shares the secrets behind the world’s greatest organizations and lays out the leadership playbook for achieving the brand-culture fusion you need to power your performance and future-proof your business.

IGNITE EXPERIENCE: Fuse Customer Experience and Employee Experience to Drive Your Growth

Customer experience is the new competitive battlefield where customer loyalty is won or lost. And among employees, the war for talent is intensifying. How do you win on both fronts? Denise shows you how to align and integrate your employee and customer experiences—and unleash their combined power to fuel your growth. Learn how to design and deliver employee experiences that fully engage your people and translate into customer experience excellence. Denise lays out the complete game plan you need to win the hearts and minds of customers and employees.

Extraordinary Experiences: How to Win Customers’ Hearts and Dollars

How do some companies break through the clutter; compete with bigger, better-resourced competitors; and manage to grow and thrive when so many others fail? They earn customer love and loyalty through extraordinary experiences. Denise gives you the complete blueprint for creatively designing and consistently delivering customer experiences that win over customers for life. Learn how to get the edge that everyone else wants and excel at customer experience.

What Great Salespeople Do

If you’re worried about how the role of sales and selling is changing, you need to know what the best salespeople do to succeed in this new business environment. Denise shows you that great salespeople do what great brands do. She explains how to innovate — not imitate, how to create extraordinary experiences that embody your brand, and how to cultivate strong, emotional connections with customers. You’ll be inspired to engage with clients in new ways that cut out competitors and create long-term business success. Learn why and how the most effective salespeople operate as brand evangelists — and how you can too to win the new sales game.

Brand-Building Isn’t Just for the Big Guys

It’s true! You don’t have to be big to be great. Even if you’re an entrepreneur who’s short on time and money, you can build a brand that stands out and has a big impact. Denise shows you what you need to beat the big guys at their own game. She reveals the Minimum Viable Brand (MVB) framework and how to lay the foundation for getting traction in a crowded, cluttered marketplace. Learn the 6 “What’s” that every start-up and small business must answer — and how the most successful entrepreneurs have built powerful, profitable brands.

Workshop: Build a Breakthrough Brand with a Clear Competitive Positioning

A clear, definitive competitive brand positioning is essential to brand building. It defines who you are selling to, what your business scope is, and what you do to create value for your customers. It provides strategic guidance on product development, pricing, messaging, and more. In this hands-on workshop, Denise shows you how to craft a competitive brand positioning, including:

– the most effective way to identify and define your target segment(s)

– how to determine an appropriate competitive frame of reference

– three strategies to establish meaningful and lasting differentiation

– the sources that achieve brand credibility among today’s savvy customers

Alex Epstein

7 February 2018

Robert Adams

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Categories: speakers

Videos

Biography

Alex Epstein is a philosopher and energy expert who argues that “human flourishing” should be the guiding principle of industrial and environmental progress. He founded Center for Industrial Progress (CIP) in 2011 to offer a positive, pro-human alternative to the Green movement.

Epstein is the author of The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels (Penguin, 2014), a New York Times bestseller arguing that if we look at the whole picture, human flourishing requires that humanity use more fossil fuels not less. The book has been widely praised as the most persuasive argument ever made for our continuing use of fossil fuels, winning Epstein the “Most Original Thinker of 2014” award from The McLaughlin Group. His latest book is “Fossil Future”, 2022, (Penguin Random House).

Epstein, known for his willingness to debate anyone, anytime, has publicly debated leading environmentalist organizations such Greenpeace, the Sierra Club, and 350.org over the morality of fossil fuel use versus their own agendas. He has made his moral case for fossil fuels at dozens of campuses, including Harvard, Yale, Stanford, and Duke (his alma mater). He has also spoken to employees and leaders at dozens of Fortune 500 energy companies, including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Phillips 66, Valero, Enbridge, and TransCanada.

In his speeches and consulting work he helps companies take his pro-human messaging and use it to neutralize attackers, turn non-supporters and supporters, and turn supporters into champions. One of his major goals is to teach employees in the fossil fuel industry—in the face of hostility from the media and the academy—to understand the value of what they do and how to communicate it.

Speech Topics

The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels and “Fossil Future”
This speech introduces employees to something that most of them have never heard: the idea that what they do is moral. Combined with the book The Moral Case for Fossil Fuels, this speech will create months of excitement and learn among a company’s employees.

How to Talk to Anyone About Energy
Every employee in the energy industry deserves the opportunity to understand the value of what they do—and how to communicate it to others. This speech shares the key principles employees need to effectively communicate what they do to their personal networks, both online and offline.

How to Win Hearts and Minds
This speech, designed for senior management, discusses why companies have so much difficulty winning the hearts and minds of their stakeholders, including employees—and how reframing the conversation is the fundamental solution.

Workshop: How to Have Constructive Conversations About Energy
This one-day workshop gives teams custom guidance on dealing with their most important
audiences and communication challenges.

Stakeholder Strategy Session
This day-long session is for organizations that are undertaking a new, significant communication
project and want to maximize their chances of success. Using a framework called “The 10 Ms”
Alex Epstein takes project leaders through the following 10 questions.

NEW BOOK:

Fossil Future by Alex Epstein

TALKING POINTS: Alex is available to share his views on how to better counter the climate narrative via his talking points. For example, here is a snippet:

Originally published on Aug 2, 2023

Myth: This year’s hot temperatures show that fossil fuels are already making Earth unlivably hot.

Truth: This year’s hot temperatures are part of a slow warming trend on a planet where far more people die from cold than from heat, and where we need fossil fuels to protect us from both.

Gitt image overheated planet v2png

Leading media outlets are portraying this summer’s temperatures as unlivably hot, and offering the rapid adoption of anti-fossil-fuel policies as a solution.
In reality, cold is a far bigger problem than heat—and anti-fossil-fuel policies will make us more endangered by both.